Helderburg has just unveiled Lazare — a one-of-one, five-door Defender 110 that fuses timeless heritage with uncompromising modern engineering. Starting from a classic Defender chassis, every component has been rebuilt in-house: hand-shaped panels, proprietary CNC machining, and techniques virtually unseen elsewhere in the Defender community.
Power comes from Helderburg’s exclusive 2.8-liter turbo diesel — an evolution of the legendary 300Tdi featuring a bespoke cylinder head, crankshaft, connecting rods, VNT turbo, and stainless exhaust, all designed and machined by Helderburg for exceptional power, cooling, and extreme longevity. “We built this truck to be a true globe-trotter,” said Paul Potratz, Founder and CEO of Helderburg. “The 2.8-liter turbo diesel isn’t just powerful; it’s designed for longevity measured in hundreds of thousands of miles. Our clients will see 500,000 to 800,000 miles on these engines. And being able to achieve 28 to 32 mpg without diesel exhaust fluid or complex emissions systems adds real-world usability that many modern platforms simply don’t offer.”
Underneath, the chassis receives Helderburg’s signature widened track, German-made progressive coil springs, custom radius arms, and re-engineered steering geometry. “The Defender’s steering was once its weakest point,” Potratz noted. “Our steering geometry and components make it light, calm, and precise. You can guide it with two fingers. When paired with our CNC-machined braking system with six pistons in the front and four in the rear, it gives you a level of control that surprises anyone familiar with vintage trucks.”
The cabin is pure bespoke luxury: single-tone burgundy Italian leather tanned exclusively for this build — nearly four times thicker than typical automotive hides, yet supple and glove-soft thanks to its high-wax process. A unique stitching motif created solely for Lazare is paired with soft metallic gold, billet aluminum, and nickel accents. Every seat is built to the owner’s exact measurements, and thicker automotive glass plus extensive sound deadening deliver near-silent refinement.
Outside, a custom Ferrari-inspired metallic gold-bronze paint ($43,700 process alone) combines with CNC-machined billet hardware and a fully integrated six-point external roll cage. “We preserved the iconic Defender silhouette,” Potratz said, “but every detail beneath it has been reworked for the modern era. Lazare may look familiar at first glance, but everything from the engine internals to the door mechanisms has been reconsidered. It is a classic in appearance, but mechanically, it is an entirely new vehicle.”
